A School In Kolkata Made A Group Of Girls Write Letters Saying That They Are Lesbians

IWB Post

March 14, 2018

A group of 12 girls, aged 13, was made to write “We are lesbians” in a south Kolkata school – Kamala Girls’ High School.

The issue started when some students complained against the girls about their involvement in homosexual behaviour to the administration. On March 9, the students in question were interrogated by headmistress Shikha Sarkar. One of the girls told The Quint, “We were taken to Shikha Di’s room and asked questions in derogatory language. We were told that we hold hands, hug etc. which is “uncivilised”. We were accused of other things too which we didn’t do. We were told to write down “all that we do”. We were forced to write.” Another girl from the group added, “When we said that all that we do is hold hands, we were asked why we do that too.”

According to The Quint, a few students were also asked, “How does it feel to put your hand up a girl’s skirt?” Following the confrontation, parents of respective students were called to meet the headmistress. Parents rubbished the allegation and accused the school of forcing children to write about their sexuality. “We were explicitly told that our daughters are ‘suffering from homosexuality’. The headmistress admitted to us that the kids were made to write the letter,” said one of the parents.

The parents have submitted the signed letters to the police and have filed a complaint against the school. An FIR is yet to be registered.

Justifying her act, headmistress Shikha Sarkar said, “The students have written everything on their own. We haven’t forced anything on them. The matter is solved. The students are in class. We have a problem with their behaviour, the explanation for which will only be given to the Director In-charge of Education. We shall offer no further comment on this matter.“